Weight of a Promise
by caledon
Summary: "All or nothing," she whispered to herself. Years ago, she'd made that decision. Her feelings overflowed, became too much for her to keep inside any longer, and she'd let them out, released them in words to the one man that had always held her heart.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was inspired by a few things. "Song For..." by Rookiez is Punk'd, "Flavor of Life" by Utada Hikaru, and Satou's situation and self-imposed ultimatum in episode 11 of "Working'!". Needless to say, the latter kinda sorta wormed his way in here under the guise of a different name, although by no means is this fic meant to be a crossover.

Please forgive the disjointedness of the telling. I'm at the mercy of the muse, just going with the flow, and at the moment I'm not really sure where said muse is taking me with this ^^;

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p>On the bed, they laid face to face on their sides. With hands clasped tightly together, it was all she could do not to let her tears fall.<p>

"Promise me?" implored Tatsuki.

Orihime could only nod in reply.

Tatsuki squeezed her hand in thanks, in goodbye.

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><p>Beyond the window of the train, the city sped by.<p>

Orihime closed her eyes, Naruse-san's words echoing in her head.

_"It's a start, ne?" said the head cook at the family restaurant she worked in. "A new beginning. For four years I held my feelings, never confessing. I tried to show it, but I was too afraid. And even the hints I gave never reached her._

_"And then," he continued after blowing out a puff of smoke, "one day, I've just had enough. It was all or nothing, I decided. I put my job on the line, willing to sacrifice that and everything else."_

_He sighed as he ground out his cigarette on the ashtray. "And now here I am. Away from her."_

"All or nothing," she whispered to herself. Years ago, she'd made that same decision. Her feelings overflowed, became too much for her to keep inside any longer, and she'd let them out, released them in words to the one man that had always held her heart.

When she received his response, she ran.

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><p>She could still hear his voice, soft and full of regret.<p>

_"Gomen, Inoue."_

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><p><em>We are fools in love, aren't we, Naruse-san? We gave it our all, we gave out our hearts whole, and when it was given back in pieces, we ran from it. Was that really the only way to cope?<em>

She'd had Tatsuki with her, at least. Shortly after that momentous day, they'd taken the train from Karakura and fled (destination: anywhere, any place, as long as it was away from _him_), the tracks meandering years away from their town, and those years saw in them changes neither had ever expected.

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><p><em>"Ne, Tatsuki-chan? Won't you come with me?" she asked with a tearful smile.<br>_

_For once, her steadfast friend had been at a loss and hadn't been able to look her in the eye. It had puzzled Orihime then how readily her best friend caved to her request without the usual scolding regarding her sudden flight of fancy. The dark head of her friend could only give her a guilty nod as acquiescence, short of kowtowing to her._

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><p>And now those same tracks that had borne her away from heartbreak were taking her back, the wheels slowing down as they approached the station.<p>

Orihime looked at the seat beside her. _Five years, huh?_

"Sleepy head," she whispered gently on the soft wispy hairs by the preschooler's ear. "We're here."

As the little boy began to blearily open his eyes, she pulled him against her, her arm shaking as she took a deep inhale of the familiar smell that begun to permeate the air.

"Mama and kaa-chan's home."

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><p>Clasped in one hand was the boy's much smaller one and on the other, a bundle. The straps of a backpack clung to her shoulders. With a deep exhale, she whispered, "Yosh!" and proceeded from the train station. If memory served her right, down along the street was the huge park adjacent to Karasu River where she and Tatsuki attempted to catch dragonflies, where she'd finally let her feelings out to <em>him<em>.

_The river's just a river_, she thought to herself. _Just a body of water. The water from the past has long since flowed away, and the water there now isn't the water from then. I am not the person I was then either. None of us are_.

_Besides_, he _would've forgotten about it by now_.

"Ne, mama?" chirped little Kurotatsu.

"Hmm?"

"Are we there yet?"

Orihime smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes, and squeezed his hand. There were people still to meet, things to organize. She hoped that none of these would take long, although the manager of the restaurant had told her to take what ever time away she needed. But she couldn't make such an imposition like that.

"Are you hungry, my little black dragon?" she asked instead.

"Uhn." Kurotatsu nodded in reply.

She pursed her lips as she tried to remember a nearby eatery, wondering if it still stood there. Two short blocks westbound, a right turn, and there at the corner of a busy intersection was Arashi-ya, still there.

Kurotatsu pointed with his hand, and she nodded, and he released hers to run to the glass door, standing up on his tiptoes to reach the handle, his face contorted with concentration as he tried to get the door open.

"I can do it, I can do it," he called out to her as she approached, holding out a hand to stop her from helping him even as the door began to close again. It swung open suddenly, throwing the little boy off, and a familiar voice exclaimed, "EH? Nande kore?"

Orihime caught him as he stumbled, staring wide-eyed at the owner of the voice. "Ch-Chizuru-chan?"

"Hime-chan? It is you!"

She was gathered up in a pair of slender arms, getting strung along as Honshou Chizuru jumped up and down with joy.

"It's been five long years, Hime-chan? How have you been? _Where_ have you been? You and Tatsuki suddenly disappeared and no one has ever heard anything about you two." Smiling through her tears, the bespectacled woman eyed her at arm's length. "It's great to see you're as lovely as ever." She looked around. "Where's Tatsuki?" She looked down, her smile freezing in place as she caught sight of the child hiding behind Orihime's leg. "Eh? And who is this?"

Orihime gave him a gentle nudge. "Kurotatsu?"

Wide-eyed, the boy slowly sidled from his hiding place and shyly spoke. "Inoue Tatsunosuke desu. Nice to meet you."

"Eh? Sooo cuuute!" exclaimed Chizuru as she bent down to take a closer look at him, and ruffled his hair. "Nice to meet you too. I am Honshou Chizuru. How old are you, Tatsunosuke-chan?"

Kurotatsu held out his hand, three fingers shakily standing up as he concentrated on getting a fourth to straighten up. It bent back and forth several times before finally taking its place with the rest of the digits. "Four," he said, a giant grin stretching on his lips as he finally accomplished the feat.

Chizuru clapped her hands in delight, ruffling his hair again to congratulate him on a job well done.

"I can't believe you're here, Hime-chan. And with a cute little one to boot. Aren't you just full of surprises? Oh, yeah...where were you about to go just now?"

"In there," nodded Orihime towards Arashi-ya.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. Here, come on in." Chizuru opened the door and ushered them inside, leading them to her table. "Won't you join me? I thought I saw a familiar face through the door that I just had to see it closely. Please? It would really be a pleasure. We can catch up."

"Sure." Orihime tried to hide her reluctance.

"Order anything you want. It's on me."

"Oh, no, we couldn't possibly—"

"Please, Hime-chan?"

Orihime rubbed the back of her head, and looked down at Kurotatsu as he tugged at her hand. "Okay."

"Great! Have a seat! Have a seat! Wait till I tell the others—"

"—Chizuru-chan—"

"—I'm sure they'll be excited to see you again after all these years—"

"—Chizuru-chan—"

"—But I'm so happy I have you to myself right now. Am I the first to know you're here?—"

"—Chizuru-chan—"

"—And, oh yeah, where is Tatsuki anyway?"

"Kaa-chan?" Kurotatsu piped in.

"Kaa-chan?" parroted Chizuru, tilting her head as she frowned, and peered at Orihime over the top of her eyeglasses. "I thought you were his mama."

Orihime nodded. "Tatsuki and I...well, we were—"

"—EH? EHHH? Nande kore? Don't tell me my Hime-chan discovered the beauty of female love with Tatsuki? EHHHHH?"

"Shh, Chizuru-chan, please lower your voice."

"So that's what happened?" She eyed Kurotatsu as a thought dawned in her head. "And little Tatsunosuke is the product of your love?" She gasped, her hands flying over her mouth. "Hime-chan!" She cried as she shook her head.

"Mama, I'm scared."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Tatsunosuke-chan," sniffed Chizuru. "I didn't mean to scare you." She fanned herself with her hands. "I'm okay. I just—you really are full of surprises, Hime-chan."

"Sorry."

"No, don't worry about it," waved Chizuru. "So where's Karakura's ultimate karate champion anyway?"

Orihime bit her lip and stilled the beating of her heart. She lifted the bundle that she had been holding tightly and placed it on the table, carefully unwrapping it. Inside was a small, simple urn.

The scene before Chizuru suddenly became a blur as tears pooled in her eyes, and she took in a shaky breath, her head swinging from side to side.

"I came back," said Orihime in a tremulous voice, "to bring Tatsuki-chan home."

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><p>End note - some definitions:<p>

gomen: sorry

kaa-chan: mom

nande kore: what is this (also sometimes translated as "what the hell" depending on the context)

Kurotatsu: black dragon

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Thanks for reading :)  
>Dec2011


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Please note the title change of the fic. The more I write and think about this fic, the more certain themes come into play.  
>Every time I sit down to write "Bride of the Death God", the plot-bunny for this fic starts humping my leg, interrupting my BotDG mindset with images and words for this one instead. And I thought that writing that first chapter would appease the musebunny ¬_¬  
>Here's to hoping this will be a short fic ^^;<p>

Thanks to everyone who've read/subscribed/favourited :)  
>And yay to those who guessed right about who Kurotatsu actually belongs to XD<p>

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p>After the deaths of Tatsuki's parents, she made Orihime promise her many things.<p>

Since then, Orihime felt as though that was all her life had been: a sequence of promises.

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><p><em>Somewhere along the way from all their travels, they landed on a beach.<em>

_They sat on a bench perched on an outcrop of a large rock, droplets from the high tides spraying their faces as they watched the sun set._

_Tatsuki squeezed her hand. "This child is yours."_

_Orihime turned to her. "Eh?"_

_Without turning from the horizon, Tatsuki replied, "I'm giving this child to you. Do with it what you will."_

_"Tatsuki-chan, you can't just do that—"_

_"I can! I have to, Orihime. I've taken something from you. This is my way of atoning for it."_

_"Tatsuki." She reached over and wrapped her arms around the black-haired young woman, stroking her hair. "You've done nothing wrong. There's nothing for me to forgive you for."_

_"Orihime, please?" Salt from her eyes mingled with salt from the waves dewdropped upon her face._

_In all their years of friendship, it was the first time that Orihime became witness to Tatsuki breaking apart._

_"Please promise me, Orihime?"_

_Auburn strands mingled with black as she leaned her forehead against her friend's, a hand descending to rest over Tatsuki's belly._

_"It's our child," she finally responded._

_Tatsuki held her hand in a vicelike grip, and closed her eyes._

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><p>"Moshi moshi?"<p>

"Ah, Orihime, this is Naruse. I take it you've reached your town?"

"Ah, yes, thank you, Naruse-san. I'm sorry I didn't get to call you sooner."

"No worries. How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright. I met up with an old friend from school and we are at her place right now."

"And Tatsunosuke? How's the little one?"

"He's alright, too. He's taking a nap. How is everyone there?"

"Don't worry about us. We're all fine."

"But my shift—"

"It's covered. Just take care of what ever you need to over there. The restaurant will still be here when you get back."

"..."

"What is it?"

"N-no, i-it's nothing, Naruse-san."

"Orihime—"

"What am I going to do?"

"Eh? About what?"

"You remember what we'd talked about?"

"Mmm."

"I've got my fresh start when I left here. With Tatsuki-chan, we went to a lot of cities and towns, saw and experienced many different things. Everything to forget and to heal, to pick up our lives and piece them together anew. And now I'm back, I'm at a loss. I d-don't know what I'm supposed to do or say to the one I ran away from. What should I do, Naruse-san?"

"Orihime...I haven't been at that point in my own life, so I can't tell you how it was for me."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I ran from Yumiko after I told her how I felt, and I haven't looked back. There's regret for something that never came to pass, and maybe, for me, the two of us wasn't meant to be. But for you, maybe this is a second chance?"

"A second chance?"

"If you still feel for him the same way you did before..."

"..."

"Orihime?"

"...I...I don't know anymore, Naruse-san."

"Have you spoken to him?"

"No, I haven't seen him yet. M-my friend, she emailed our other friends about a private memorial for Tatsuki-chan at her place. If I should face him again...I just don't know."

"..."

"..."

"Gambatte ne, Orihime."

"Mmm... Thank you, Naruse-san."

"Ja."

"Ja ne."

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><p>Orihime leaned her head against the wall and tightly pulled her lids down over her eyes, cradling her cellphone to her chest. Chizuru had requested that they hold a memorial for Tatsuki before she took the ashes to the cemetery to be interred into her family's grave site. She couldn't very well refuse as their friends had also loved and cared for Tatsuki when she had been alive. It was only fitting, and their due, to be able to say a proper farewell.<p>

Her breath hitched in her chest as the sting of tears hit her nose. How did their lives turn out this way? As a tear slid over her lip, the acrid taste of sorrow ran over her tongue, and she remembered their time together at the beach. It was when Tatsuki's requests for promises began to multiply.

Crawling over to the futon spread on the floor, she curled herself around the small, warm living legacy that her best friend left behind.

_Kaa-chan loves you, Kurotatsu. Kaa-chan loves you. She didn't mean to leave you so soon._

The sounds of voices permeated through the sliding door of the small room she and Kurotatsu occupied, and she rose, wiping at her cheeks and sniffing.

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><p><em>"I know it's selfish of me, Orihime."<em>

_"Eh?"_

_"To leave everything up to you. It might not make sense, but please, treat this child as your own. All of it is yours. Because all I'm doing is carrying it for you."_

_"Tatsuki-chan..."_

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><p>"We shouldn't have played with Kurotatsu's life like that, ne, Tatsuki-chan?" she whispered before sliding the door open.<p>

On the other side was a sea of faces wearing variations of shock, dismay, disbelief, and pain. They crowded around her, their words a susurrus of welcomes and condolences, in that in-between place of not knowing whether to be happy or sad or both.

Her heart swelled at the remembered comradeship, all this familiarity, the same faces that the years apart had also changed and not changed—for them all to greet each other in this way—the weights of their hands on her shoulder, arms, and head; the warmth of their embraces. All for her and all for Tatsuki.

She couldn't bring herself to smile through her tears. She could only stare straight ahead at the makeshift shrine set against the wall, with incense sticks and an incense holder in front of the small urn and a photograph of Tatsuki.

_I want to remember you as they all remember you: as that young, strong girl. You thought that you had tarnished yourself, that you'd done something that could not be forgiven. If they love you as I loved you, they will also find that there's nothing to forgive. Life happens. And things happen in life that we have no control over. Not even love._

And then—

She caught her breath and her eyes widened. A pair of strong arms had wrapped themselves around her, and all sound seemed to cease. She felt as though she was in some kind of bubble, in a cocoon of safety. All that filled her vision was a broad shoulder. She could only stand still as the world itself stood still.

Orihime inhaled the same and yet not-the-same masculine scent, that put to her mind the definition of protection. Her heart thudded through her chest—could he feel it vibrating so painfully against his? Her eyes wandered from that shoulder, followed the curve of his neck, to the soft orange hairs that brushed against his nape.

And she could feel her heart breaking all over again.

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Dec/2011


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm sorry that the stupid bunny/muse did it again *kicks it away*  
>(also, I probably shouldn't be writing this fic while listening to sad songs or readingwatching shoujo/jdramas)

Thanks very much for all your lovely support and enthusiasm ^_^

About certain answers in this chapter: please don't hate me?

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p>He never said why. In such cases, the receiver of the confession wasn't required to give a reason for rejecting the confessor. But there had been something in his expression then that told her everything she needed, and she ran from him after he uttered those two words.<p>

But despite the distance and the cities between them, she hadn't been able to fully escape.

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><p>In the nine months since leaving Karakura, Orihime buried her feelings with forced smiles. In her haste to get away, she ended up taking with her the very thing that plunged a knife over and over in her heart.<p>

But this love, however betrayed, was all she had left, and despite the pain and the burden, she couldn't simply abandon it and run away again.

Closing her heart to everything else, she could only accept things as they were, and tried to move on from there.

It was only when she was holding her friend's newly born baby in her arms for the first time that she felt the ice over her heart begin to thaw, melting down and carrying away the pain she'd buried. And all those words she'd spoken to her friend about having done nothing to be forgiven for finally became the truth.

For the first time in a long time, a genuine smile stretched over Orihime's lips, and Tatsuki breathed a sigh of relief.

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><p><em>A month after they'd left Karakura, she found Tatsuki curved over the toilet on the bathroom floor. Alarmed, Orihime rubbed her back as her friend heaved and hurled, the tears falling from her eyes weren't just the tears that accompanied the burning of her esophagus. She spewed out words along with what ever was in her stomach.<em>

__"I never meant to. It wasn't supposed to happen. I swear. I-it j-just did. I'm so sorry. It was because of me that you—"__

__"Tatsuki-chan."__

__"But—"__

__"Don't say anything more. We have to—"__

__"No, Orihime, we can't go back."__

__"But don't you want him to take responsibility for this? He deserves to know—"__

__"No! I can't. He doesn't. This wasn't supposed to happen."__

__"But his feelings—"__

__Tatsuki shook her head and cupped Orihime's cheeks to still the rest of her words. "Only you, Orihime. I'm here with you because of your feelings. Nothing else matters to me."__

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><p><em>This warmth...these arms...these aren't meant for me. He lost you too, Tatsuki.<em>

_It's not me he's trying to hold on to._

"I'm sorry," whispered Orihime.

He stiffened against her, and then pulled her tighter against him. Amid the stares of their friends, he buried his face in her neck.

At her sides, her hands curled into fists, shaking. She never expected this, and she found that it was something her heart simply couldn't take. With a deep, shuddering breath, she tried to summon the strength to persevere, to box up the fragile pieces of her heart and store it deep, deep down inside.

__I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, for many things. I'm sorry for all the promises she made me keep. I'm sorry I got in the way and took her from you. She kept telling me she needed my forgiveness, but it is me who should ask for yours. I came here to set things right with you.__

__I just didn't know it could hurt this much___._

This was her punishment. This warmth, this feeling of being home, the solidity of his presence—once she had yearned for all of these. But she couldn't take all these things that weren't meant for her, these things that she didn't deserve, these things that he was supposed to give to someone else.

She silenced her sighs, stifled her sobs, but even the pain of her nails digging on her palm weren't enough. She wanted so much to run away again, but where could she go to now?

A loud, unadulterated cry shattered the moment, and slim hands forcefully pried her from Ichigo's grip, and Orihime found herself wrapped against Chizuru. "Oh, Hime-chan! I still can't believe Tatsuki is gone! I just—hey!" she exclaimed as Orihime found herself being surrounded by another set of arms.

"Inoue-san!" sobbed Keigo. "Oh, Inoue-san. Oh, Arisawa-san. I can't—I can't—"

Numbly, like a doll, she was passed from friend to friend until she reached Ryo, who merely patted her shoulder and gently pushed her down to sit on the floor by the makeshift shrine and handed her a cup of tea. All the rest followed suit, the women seeming to sense something in the air that they unceremoniously barricaded Orihime from certain members of the gathering. From her periphery, she saw the bright orange head settled down somewhere near the back of the group beside Sado, Ishida, Mizuiro, and a still mournful Keigo.

It hung, suspended in the air, the question on everyone's minds.

Daintily, Michiru wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "So, how did—" she bit her lip, her voice breaking as she spoke. "How did—?"

"Bone cancer," answered Orihime quietly. "Not even a month after it was detected and she...it..." She blinked, but the tears fell anyway, her voice having become a husky whisper. "It spread too fast, and then she was..."

"But isn't that more common in males?" piped Ryo numbly.

"It doesn't mean that it doesn't happen in females."

"I can't believe she's the first of us to go."

Orihime looked down into the cup held between her hands. A fallen tear cause a ripple to spread through her tea.

_Why did you have to leave me, Tatsuki-chan? Why do I have to be the one to deal with all of this? My fresh start...over and over you kept bringing me back to face what I was running away from. Hidoi yo, Tatsuki-chan._

She shook her head, berating herself for having such thoughts about her friend. From the moment she stood between the two friends she had loved the most, from the moment she asked Tatsuki to leave with her, even if she hadn't known exactly what it was she had done to them, she'd brought this all upon herself. She had to take responsibility for it, even if it meant losing everything once again, this time for good.

_Naruse-san, I think you misunderstood me when you spoke of second chances. If or when you ever find yourself in this kind of situation, maybe for you, it meant you can pick up where you left off and discover your Yumiko-san loves you too. But for me this is not the case._

She could almost hear his voice in her head, asking, _"But what about little Tatsunosuke?"_

Her face scrunched as newly formed pain pierced her. As much as Tatsuki gave her something precious, something to focus on in order to keep going...

_"He's not really mine to lose."_

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><p><em>Tatsuki waddled through the sidewalk on their way to the restaurant. A wince crossed her face. Alarmed, Orihime let go of her hand and took hold of her shoulders.<em>

_"What's wrong, Tatsuki-chan?"_

_"The little bugger kicked again."_

_"Mou, Tatsuki-chan, you shouldn't refer to Kurotatsu like that."_

_"And you shouldn't call him that, Orihime."_

_The auburn-haired woman grimaced and looked away. "That's what he is," she said quietly._

_Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Tatsuki retorted, "He isn't. Not to me."_

_"Tatsuki—"_

_"Listen, Orihime: these notions of yours, they are for something that doesn't exist." She blinked as her eyes turned red, sniffing in annoyance even as her voice broke as she continued, "It was a stupid night. We were drunk. Things happened that shouldn't have happened. It didn't mean anything_—_it shouldn't. I know I'm not supposed to feel this way because it affects this baby, but all I feel is regret. And resentment. Because we were stupid. Stupid people who got caught in the moment, who should know better. So what ever it was you were thinking _he_ and I were, we're not. We never were. And that's why I need you. To love this baby as I can't bear to, as I can't bring myself to. Because this is something that I've taken from you. It wasn't my name _he__—_"_

_"Maybe you should take this to a less public place," said a deep voice._

_The two women broke apart and stared, one irritated and the other mortified, at the spectator watching from the back door of the restaurant._

_"Naruse-san, ohayo. A-and gomen."_

_Naruse waved._

_"I-I better get ready for work. Mata ne, Tatsuki-chan," announced Orihime with a small nervous laugh, squeezed Tatsuki's shoulder, and ducked under Naruse's arm through the door._

_Tatsuki clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth as she wiped at her cheeks, and grudgingly took the handkerchief that Naruse offered. "What is with your timing, Naruse Haruka? Mendokusai."_

_He shrugged. "Maa."_

_She huffed. "Damn hormones. Making me feel like this."_

_"So desu ne."_

_"Shut up."_

_"So, do you want the usual today?"_

_She nodded as she blew her nose onto the square cloth._

_"Well, then, go through the front door and take a seat. I'll have Orihime bring it over once it's done cooking."_

_Behind the door, Orihime sighed as she listened, closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath before proceeding to the employee's changing room. In the dark of her mind, she imagined a lid to a box that was ajar that she was pushing to close with all her might. But all this added pain made the box overflow, spilling out its contents despite her efforts to suppress them._

__That was where she had locked away her heart._  
><em>

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><p>Bringing the cup up to her lips, she took a sip of tea flavoured with bitter tears.<p>

_You cried then, Tatsuki._

_You were his real mother. You created him with Kurosaki-kun. No matter how much you denied it, you couldn't help loving him too._

_It wasn't just me who was running from her feelings._

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><p>End note - some translations:<p>

hidoi/hidoi yo: (you're) cruel

mata ne: see you later

mendokusai: how/you're troublesome; how/you're annoying; what a bother

maa: well; anyway

so desu ne: it seems to be that way; I see

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Thanks for reading :)  
>Dec2011


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I was pretty adamant about telling this story just from Orihime's PoV, but Ichigo was very insistent about telling his side of things. Part of the reason for the delay in relaying this chapter was this argument; the other was because the muse/bunny was kicked a little too far, and it came back pretty vengeful and sided with Ichigo, making it so that everything I wrote with the intent of it coming from Orihime's perspective turned out like this. Each and every single scene ¬_¬  
>Song that inspired this chapter: "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" by Snow Patrol<p>

Thanks to everyone! Wish you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p><em>The sound of his phone ringing woke him, and Ichigo frowned, moaning as its electronic beeping seemed to enhance the pounding of his head.<em>

_He rolled over and blindly reached up for the phone on his nightstand, squinting against the vibrant light of its screen, and waking up fully at the message he found there. __It read: _

Ohayo Kurosaki-kun,  
>Can we meet this morning? I'll be waiting at the third bench from the bridge at the Karasu River.<br>Inoue.

_He couldn't help the sudden excited rhythm of his heart nor the silly grin that began to spread across his lips as he read her message over and over._

This is it_, he thought. The moment that he himself had been working up the courage for. He'd felt as though he was beginning to wake up; a new world was opening up before him, and he was ready to take the plunge for this particular phase of life. Uncustomarily, he'd wanted to jump and scream, but he refrained, opting to just let a small elated chuckle escape._

_He sat up, and noticed he was naked with his pants twisted around his ankles. His smile began to fade as he looked around the small bedroom of his apartment. There were beer cans strewn around the floor and on the low table in front of the TV._

_He remembered having his friends over last night. Mostly the guys and Tatsuki. They'd brought over plenty of drinks and snacks as well as several movies, and as the night grew later and later, they'd slowly begun to leave. Except—_

_He remembered sitting on the floor with Tatsuki after everyone else had gone. She'd turned the TV off as the credits of the last movie began to roll and then leaned over him to grab one last can of beer. She'd stumbled and landed on top of him, and then..._

_Ichigo clutched at his head. Everything seemed to have become a blur after that._

_Swearing under his breath, he kicked his pants off the rest of the way and rose, looking at the mess of his room, and grew alarmed as he spied droplets of blood on his bedsheets._

_He felt his heart stop._

_He could only look at his bed helplessly while tightly clenching his hand around his cellphone._

* * *

><p><em>Her words. The way Inoue's voice trembled as she said them. He'd wanted to savour the way they fell from her lips. Those very words were the same Ichigo had been striving so hard to say to her when he finally realized how he felt.<em>

_But he couldn't bring himself to wholeheartedly accept her feelings—at least until he'd first settled things with Tatsuki. He had to take responsibility for what had happened last night; he had to make certain of how things stood between them before he could begin with Inoue. It would only be fair to all three of them._

_And so it was with great regret that he answered with, "Gomen, Inoue."_

_But before he could continue, before he could say anything more, before he could ask her if she was willing to wait until he could resolve some things first, she sputtered out excuses as she backed away, her eyes—which only scant minutes before had sparkled with excitement and determination—blinked rapidly to abate the tears that now shone there. That hopeless feeling in his chest returned as he watched her run._

_He didn't know then just how far the distance would stretch between them._

_Nor the fact that she wasn't the only one to flee from him. _

* * *

><p>Ichigo clenched his hand around his cellphone and ran his other hand through his hair. It was a text message he hadn't been expecting: the return of the two that hadn't been seen nor heard from in five years, and the reunion was anything but a happy one.<p>

His mind was a blank. Thoughts came and went without registering in his head.

It wasn't like him to be jittery, but he paced back and forth in his small apartment for lack of anything else to do. Stopping after a few minutes, he looked at his cell again at the message Honshou Chizuru had sent:

_Minna,  
>I know this is sudden, but Hime-chan is back. I am holding a gathering at my place tonight for Tatsuki. She died. If you have the time, please come and pray for our dear friend before Hime-chan sends her to her parents.<br>Chizuru_

His oldest friend, dead. Just like that. All these years of not knowing where they were or how the both of them were doing, and suddenly one of them wasn't living anymore.

He sat down on the narrow bed with his head bent. As someone who dealt with death, this was something he should've prepared himself for. Even people he knew could die. Everybody would die at some point. It was an inevitable conclusion. But yet, now, faced with the reality of it...

Flopping down on his back, he stared at the ceiling, unseeing. The ever-present frown upon his brows deepened. A sharp pain pierced his chest as he realized he couldn't remember what Tatsuki looked like.

And Inoue...he wondered how she was faring through all this.

He tried to still the sudden pounding of his heart at the thought of her to no avail. It was only Inoue...so why did he feel this way?

The memory of five years ago**—**it wasn't something he was proud of. Too many things happened then, piling on him one after another, each was a battle that he had no idea how to overcome. Women and love**—**such things were far beyond his grasp at that age, even less so now he was older.

Restless, he stood up again and paced.

They were older now. Would her feelings have changed? How could he face her after what had happened? And why was he worrying about this now? Was this really the time for this?

Shoving the cellphone in his pocket, he grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of a chair and walked out the door.

He would have to deal with the conflict inside him once he was at Chizuru's place.

* * *

><p>Seeing Inoue before him like this brought him back to all the moments that could've been between them: all the actions he could've taken, all the words he could've said.<p>

What stood before him now was a beginning. He knew he should berate himself for the callous thought, but all he could see was the chance to start all over again.

And so he did—took her in his arms, clasped her to himself before she could get away from him once more.

This time, he would hold on.

This time, he wasn't willing to just let her go.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Jan/2012


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the wait ^^; I got distracted by the Liar Game jdrama and manga. Holy crap did Matsuda Shota and Toda Erika have crazy chemistry together. I can't believe that they're replacing her character in the new movie coming out :\ Very disappointed in that.

Thanks, everyone, for your wonderful support :D

To Miss Maggie-chan who asked if I could email her when this fic is updated: I'm very sorry but ffnet automatically deletes links or email addresses in the reviews and chapters. The only way to be notified of when a story gets updated would be to sign up to this site and subscribe to the story. I'm really sorry :(

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p>Orihime looked at the clock. Anytime now, Tatsunosuke would wake up, and he'd surely be hungry. She excused herself and made her way to Chizuru's kitchen. Everyone had brought all kinds of food with them: several bowls of ramen, pickles, miso-marinated fish and meats, omu-rice, and croquettes. She took a plate from the pile that had been set aside on the counter and placed a couple of the latter on it. Reaching over for a bottle of flavoured green tea, a voice from behind startled her and she nearly dropped the plate.<p>

"Inoue."

To prevent the croquettes from rattling on the plate from her shaking hands, she placed it down on the counter, and composed her features. Turning, she answered, "Kurosaki-kun?"

And suddenly, she realized how small the kitchen was with him standing at the doorway, with the space between them too minuscule and with no crowd of people to keep them apart. He was so close that he only had to reach out a hand in order to touch her.

And he did just that.

Even though he only laid a hand on her shoulder, she tried to still the sudden pounding of her heart.

"How have you been, Inoue?"

"Just fine. J-just getting by. A-and you?"

"I'm alright."

"That's good. I'm glad."

"I..."

"Hmm?"

He finally let go of shoulder only to scratch the back of his head with the same hand. "You, uh..."

"Kurosaki-kun?"

"You didn't keep in touch."

His tone sounded accusatory, and she felt a hitch of guilt in her chest despite herself. "Gomen."

He shook his head as if waving away her apology though his next words belied the act. "You just left."

She looked down.

"I'm glad you're back...well, it would've been better under different circumstances, but I really am glad you're here, Inoue."

She kept her gaze down, steadily at a spot on his collarbone, almost mesmerized by the way his throat moved as he spoke; she didn't want to read any- and everything he could've meant by those words.

"And I'm sorry about Tatsuki."

Nodding once in acknowledgement, she held herself still and with her fists curled at her sides, watching as he sighed and slowly turned, making his way back to the living room.

Even though she was once more alone, she couldn't relax, still held fast rigidly in place. At the back of her mind sprang the thought that maybe that one simple touch of his had turned her into stone.

"Be strong, Orihime," she whispered to herself. "Just a few more days and then you'll be back, away from Karakura once more. Just like a game after you've reached Game Over, you can start back up at the beginning again. You have a life there now and people who are waiting for you."

* * *

><p><em>Once, after the restaurant had closed, she walked with Naruse-san along the still-busy streets, prolonging going home to Tatsuki. The wound in her heart was still fresh, the sting of betrayal still acute, despite her empty words to her friend that everything was fine with her.<em>

_The night before, she guided Tatsuki back to her bed and stroked her head until she fell asleep, all the while thinking, trying to convince herself that Tatsuki's love for_ him _was greater than hers could ever be. After all, Tatsuki had found the courage to act on her feelings, hadn't she? And this was the result of it. All the "if only's" of the world could circulate through her mind, but they wouldn't change the brutal fact that her own feelings for Kurosaki-kun were overshadowed by Tatsuki's. Even if Kurosaki-kun didn't know about Tatsuki's present condition, what occurred between them had to have been mutual. And all of Tatsuki's protestations were nothing more than words that were meant to comfort Orihime from feeling more hurt._

_She hadn't been able to sleep, and was really grateful when daybreak came. She went to work and lost herself into its routine: smile, welcome, for how many people?, what would you like to order?, if there's anything else you'd like please let me know, enjoy your food, thank you for coming..._

_On a slow hour, she found herself staring at the counter that stood between the kitchen and the prepping room, trying to still her mind from all the thoughts that whirled within it. She felt as though she couldn't escape no matter how much she tried to distract herself from the equation of Kurosaki-kun plus Tatsuki-chan equals love plus baby._

_Naruse-san's hand tapping loudly on the counter-top in front of her pulled her from her thoughts. "What's wrong, Orihime?"_

_Her gaze rose, and she was struck with a thought, not really seeing the man before her. "Ne, Naruse-san, will you hang out with me after work?"_

_An eyebrow rose over the eye that was not covered by his long bangs as he carefully mulled over her request, feeling as though something else lurked beneath her words. "Did you and Tatsuki have a fight?"_

_Her eyes shifted away. "No, we didn't."_

_"If you say so."_

_"Please," she implored softly._

_And then she felt his hand on top of her head, rubbing gently as he uttered in a noncommittal tone, "Sure," turning away from her to take his place back at the stove. She sent him a grateful, shaky smile even though his back was facing her and he wouldn't be able to see it._

_And now here she walked, just a pace behind him, not able to admit to herself that she was afraid to go home, instead watching the set of his shoulder and relishing the silence of his company. From her periphery flashed multicoloured lights advertising low hourly rates, and unthinkingly she stopped, grabbing his sleeve._

_"Will you spare me an hour of your time?" she asked in a husky, tremulous voice._

_Turning his head, Naruse looked over his shoulder, his eyes flying from her, to the lights and letters on the sign that had caught her eye, to the building they stood in front of, and back to her. Sighing, he faced her fully and took a hold of her shoulders. "Don't ask for something you'll later regret, Orihime."_

_She felt the pinpricks of tears at the back of her eyes, and as her mouth opened and closed several times, it took a while for her to finally gather enough courage to say, "I promise I won't."_

_"Won't you tell me what's wrong?"_

_She shook her head. "I can't. It hurts too much."_

_"..."_

_"Please, I know you don't love me, but for something like this, you don't really need love, right?"_

_Naruse swallowed, and he pulled her to his chest, his hands lowering to his sides as his shirt became sodden with her tears._

_"Baka," he muttered gently._

* * *

><p>Ichigo turned off the faucet. Standing in Chizuru's small bathroom, he leaned over the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He knew that this was not the best time to start courting. They were all in mourning, after all. And he knew, that as soon as she'd finished what she came here to do, Orihime would disappear from his life once more.<p>

He felt out of control. Thrust upon this kind of situation, he was at a loss. Over the years, he'd had an inkling that there might be more reason as to why she and Tatsuki had left together. After all, they were the best of friends, and it wasn't farfetched to think that they told each other everything. More than his own words of rejection, the thought crossed his mind that Tatsuki might have admitted to her that they'd slept together.

He had tried to gauge Orihime's mindset when he went to talk to her earlier, but he found that he couldn't even begin to fathom her. Maybe five years was too long to hope that feelings were at a standstill, that they could simply pick up where they'd left off and begin anew, that she would remain open and accepting of him. It was unrealistic to expect her to stay unchanged. Perhaps he was approaching this issue from the wrong angle.

He was pulled from his thoughts when a small knock sounded on the door and a little voice piped, "Please, please open."

Frowning, Ichigo reached over and turned the handle, and was puzzled to find a small boy on the other side, his tiny hands holding onto the front of his pants as he shuffled around where he stood.

Rounded eyes seemed to incredibly open wider as they beheld Ichigo—the pressing matter that had brought him to the washroom seemingly forgotten—and a gasp of surprised delight escaped from the boy's mouth. "You're patou-chan!" he exclaimed.

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><p>Anyone wanna guess what kind of building I was referring to in the flashback?<p>

Thanks for reading :)  
>Jan2012


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Congratulations to those who guessed right about the building in the flashback being a love hotel! And thanks for the reviews/favourites/subscriptions :)

Sorry about the wait. Just been busy with other stuff which made me step back from writing for a bit. This chapter's format is a bit different (more straightforward, less halting and entangled in the structure). It's just the way it turned out :\

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p><em>What the hell is a 'patou-chan'?<em> wondered Ichigo.

A thought tickled his mind as he stared at the boy, feeling as though the child looked really familiar although he couldn't seem to place how or why. And then the boy suddenly looked startled as though remembering something important, sidling past him and muttering, "Excuse me," as he made his way to the toilet. Despite himself, Ichigo watched, amazed—not having encountered young children all that much—and thought the obvious: _he's toilet-trained. But he's such a little kid_.

When the boy was done with his business, he went over to the sink and raised himself up on his tiptoes, reaching with all his might for the faucet. Ichigo chuckled, amused at the display, turning the faucet on and lifting the child so he could access the water and soap, watching his act in wonderment. The child was very light and slim, sporting short, spiky hair and big brown eyes. Ichigo hadn't been around children that often—his perpetual scowl seemed to usually scare them off—but this child wasn't afraid of him. In fact, the boy seemed to find him quite familiar. Putting him back down gently on the floor, he watched as the boy wiped his hands on the towel hanging on the rack, then turning back to face him to give him a big smile.

"Thank you very much, patou-chan."

Ichigo rubbed his head, giving an answering smile in return. He wondered if maybe 'patou-chan' was a cutesy way that children greeted people nowadays. He decided to give it a try. "No problem, patou-chan."

The boy laughed. "No, silly, you're patou-chan."

"No, you are," countered Ichigo.

The boy shook his head vehemently amid giggles. "No, you! You're patou-chan!"

Ichigo sighed dramatically, feigning his loss in this little game. "Fine, you win."

The boy jumped up and down. "Yay!"

Watching him, Ichigo felt a tug at his heart, a small grin stretching on his lips. "What's your name?"

The boy straightened, his arms swinging energetically at his sides. "I am Inoue Tatsunosuke. Pleased to meet you."

Ichigo felt his smile freeze in place. _Inoue?_ His eyes roamed the boy's features, trying to find her in them, his mind suddenly thrown in turmoil. He swallowed, and asked the question that he suddenly dreaded the answer to even if he'd already realized what it was. "Who's your mother?"

"Inoue Orihime—"

Ichigo closed his eyes, sudden disappointment slumping his shoulders. _Of course, by now she would've moved on. He was a fool to even—_

"—and Arisawa Tatsuki."

_—think that she would wait...wait...Tatsuki? Huh?_

Ichigo's eyes opened wide and he raised his head, staring at the boy in disbelief. "What?"

"My mama and my kaa-chan, Inoue Orihime and Arisawa Tatsuki."

He could only blink. More than anything, he had never in all his life felt this much at a loss. "Which one is your real mother?"

The boy frowned. "My real one? What's that mean?"

Ichigo stepped back from his line of questioning. Maybe the boy was still too young for complicated issues like which one of the women he called mother was the actual one that gave birth to him. For all he knew, maybe the boy was adopted and was not related to either at all. He settled instead for something simpler. "How old are you?"

At this, the boy piped up, holding up his hands with four fingers displayed in each in his excitement. "Four!" And then he saw that he had both hands up and proceeded to hide one behind his back. "I mean just the one four, not two fours."

Ichigo couldn't help but laugh, reaching over to rub the boy's head. "So who's your father?"

Tatsunosuke pursed his lips, humming as he thought. "Aha!" He reached for something in his pocket, bringing out a familiar hamburger-shaped cellphone, opened it and began flipping through.

Ichigo couldn't help being more amazed at the boy. _How come he's so smart at such a young age?_ he thought. He peered over his shoulder as Tatsunosuke looked through the pictures folder.

"See," said the boy as he handed the cellphone over to him and pointed to a picture of a younger-looking Ichigo on the cellphone screen. "This is patou-chan." And then he clicked on the arrow to get to the next picture. On the screen was a serious-looking young man with long bangs covering his left eye. "This is Naruse-san."

"So that's your dad?"

"No, he's just Naruse-san."

Ichigo didn't really know what to make of that so he settled instead for the question that had been nagging at him since he met the boy. "Why do you keep calling me 'patou-chan'?"

Tatsunosuke scratched his head in confusion. "But you're patou-chan. See, the picture and you are the same. Patou-chan."

"My name's Ichigo."

Ichigo wondered if it was even more possible for the boy's eyes to grow bigger and rounder.

"Patou-chan is not patou-chan?"

Tatsunosuke looked like a lost puppy, as though this new information of Ichigo's name was breaking his circuits and he couldn't seem to comprehend this sudden difference from a piece of knowledge he'd always held true up to now. His lips began to tremble and tears pooled in his eyes, and Ichigo felt like a heel.

"You can call me 'patou-chan,'" he said quickly in an effort to avert the oncoming disaster. "I don't mind, really."

Clutching his little hands together, Tatsunosuke seemed to shrink unto himself, and Ichigo struggled to think of a way to revert the crushing disappointment that the boy was feeling back to his previous show of excitement.

"...where are you?" came Orihime's voice near the doorway. "Kurota—" she stopped as she turned the corner and caught sight of them inside the washroom. Eyes wide and suddenly guarded, she corrected herself. "—saki-kun," she greeted with a nod, eyeing the scene before her.

At the sight of her, Ichigo straightened while Tatsunosuke ran to her, pulling at her shirt and sides as he tried to clamber up. Seeing his tear-filled eyes as she lifted him into her arms and the stricken look in Ichigo's face, she felt a heavy, sinking feeling in her chest.

She dreaded this meeting. Although she had always wanted to let Ichigo know the truth, Tatsuki had been adamant about keeping it from him. In their years together, it was the one thing Tatsuki had been illogically unyielding about. But having the desire to inform him was different from the reality of trying to find the right words and the right moment. At the back of her mind, she had wondered how he would react: would he be accepting, or worse, the opposite?

Seeing his expression now, she could feel her heart begin to break. After all these years, maybe the moment to let him know the truth was past. Tatsuki was not around to explain her own feelings and her own decisions. To suddenly just dump fatherhood on him like this...it wouldn't be a farfetched reaction to have him reject Tatsunosuke.

She should have steeled herself for a moment like this.

As her son buried his face in her neck and she felt the wetness of his tears against her skin, she clutched him tightly to her, and bowed again to Ichigo.

"I'm very sorry if he was bothering you, Kurosaki-kun."

"No, it's—" he began.

"—Please excuse us."

She turned, prompted to flee to a quiet corner by the shaking body of the boy against her. Something had happened between Tatsunosuke and Ichigo, enough to have gotten the child upset, and more than anything, she wanted to comfort him.

After all, he had no else left but her.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Mar/2012


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I must confess that 2012 hadn't been a good year between me and my Bleach fanfic muse. Blame it on Kubo since he hadn't had Orihime or Ichigo appear in the manga in so long, and sadly the manga Ichihime stuff had been my primary source of inspiration more than the songs I listen to on repeat whilst writing.

Song for this chapter: "The Price of Freedom" from the _Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII_ OST *omgZACK*screamslikeTakahiroSakurai*

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

* * *

><p><em>On the bed, they laid face to face on their sides. With hands clasped tightly together, it was all she could do not to let her tears fall.<em>

_"Promise me?" implored Tatsuki._

_Orihime could only nod in reply._

_Tatsuki squeezed her hand in thanks, in goodbye. "Promise me you won't hate me?"_

_She shook her head. "You know I couldn't." Her voice broke as she said the words, and she swallowed in an effort to control herself. "After all this time, despite everything, you know I couldn't, Tatsuki-chan."_

_Her friend, the one she loved in all the world, looked sunken, weary, her skin seeming to recede into the bones that was being eaten away by disease. She watched her take in air with a struggle, her body shuddering even as she took what ever was left of her fading strength, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to voice out the remainder of all the things she felt she still had left to say, to mend._

_"I envied you," Tatsuki finally managed. "I was happy for you when he finally started to fall in love with you, but a small part of me was jealous. I tried to stifle it, to beat it down because I_ shouldn't _be feeling that way, and about you of all people, but I _couldn't_ stop. I couldn't stop it. It grew. I hated it. I hated feeling that way about you, about Ichigo. But that small part of me just kept saying he was mine first. He met _me_ first. We had known each other longer, and he should've been looking at me the way he was looking at you. And it hurt. So much. Because I love you, you know that, right, Orihime? I love you. And because I couldn't control how I felt, I ended up taking what should've been yours. I love you, but I had hurt you too much and I don't know why you stayed with me despite what I've done—"_

_"Shh, Tatsuki-chan." Orihime softly pressed a hand on her friend's lips, her other arm snaking around her to hold her close, tucking Tatsuki's head under her chin. "Please don't say anything anymore. Please don't say these things that will only make you feel worse. I love you, too. You're my family."_

_"But—"_

_Orihime shook her head, her hand gentle even as she applied a slight bit of pressure on Tatsuki's trembling lips, her mind churning with anything she could think of to say just so Tatsuki would stop talking. "I knew. I know you better than anyone else, Tatsuki-chan."_

_"I ruined your life. What could've been—"_

_"My life is complete. Here with you and Tatsunosuke. I don't need anyone else."_

_"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for betraying you—"_

_"Hush now, don't say anything more."_

_"I took what was supposed to be yours, Orihime."_

_"Shh. There was nothing to take. I love you, Tatsuki-chan."_

_There was wetness on her fingers as tears slid down Tatsuki's cheeks. "Thank you, Orihime. You're more than I could ever deserve."_

_"Don't say that. Please."_

_"Tatsunosuke...you'll—?"_

_She nodded. "You don't need to ask. Of course, I will."_

_"Everything of his is now yours, Orihime. Everything. Even the decision to...to..."_

_"Tatsuki-chan."_

_"It's the least I can do. I'm out of the picture now."_

_"Tatsuki-chan."_

_"I love you, Orihime."_

* * *

><p>With Kurotatsu's hand in hers, they watched as Tatsuki's urn was placed alongside her parents' with utmost care, and the stone slab was slid into place under the small tower of the Arisawa family memorial. Beside her, the monk chanted the last rites, but Orihime couldn't make sense of the words, feeling numb, drained of everything as though all of her thoughts and feelings had been buried along with Tatsuki.<p>

It wasn't until Kurotatsu tugged his hand from hers that she realized her grip on him had tightened, and he wrapped his short arms around her as he saw her expression.

"Mama, don't cry," he said.

Slowly, she pried her gaze from Tatsuki's resting place and down at the legacy she'd left, looking so much like her friend and so much like Kurosaki-kun. Little Kurotatsu blinked, startled, at the drop of tear that had fallen on his cheek from Orihime's eyes. Crouching down, she scooped him up and held him tightly, while he placed his hands on her cheeks so he could kiss the tip of her nose.

"See? All better. No more owie."

She couldn't help but smile, and nuzzled her face against his hair before leaning down to place him back on the ground. Belatedly, she realized that the monk and the cemetery worker had left, leaving just her and Kurotatsu to pay their last respects.

Placing a hand on his back, she whispered, "Say goodbye to kaa-chan, Kurotatsu."

He looked up at her. "Where's she going?"

"Remember when she had the big owie?"

He nodded.

"Well, she's with your grandparents now. She was really hurt by the big owie and she...she..."

"She's resting so she doesn't hurt from the owie anymore?"

All Orihime could do was nod back in return.

"Kaa-chan will come back when she's better, right, mama?"

Her face scrunched up and she turned away.

"Mama?"

"Kaa-chan...kaa-chan's in a better place now, Kurotatsu. But she really misses you."

A look of sadness crept over his face. "I miss kaa-chan, too."

* * *

><p>As they made their way down the hill to the cemetery exit, they were greeted by Ichigo at the gate. Orihime's gait slowed, her pulse quickening, something akin to trepidation rising in her chest. She <em>had<em> been resolved to finalize certain resolutions when she decided to bring Tatsuki's remains to Karakura, but she hadn't expected them all to suddenly happen too fast too soon.

Hands in his pockets, he straightened from where he leaned against the stone post. "Inoue," he hailed softly.

She swallowed, mustering a slight upturn on the corner of her lip. "Kurosaki-kun."

He reached down to ruffle Kurotatsu's hair. "Hey, little guy."

Tatsunosuke gave him a small smile before ducking behind Orihime. "Hello, not-patou-chan."

Ichigo frowned, rubbing at the back of his head and releasing a nervous exhale. "Inoue, I just... um, just..."

"Kurosaki-kun?"

Eyes meeting hers, he licked his lips, finding his resolve to push down his nervousness. "I just want to say sorry for making him cry last night. I don't really know what 'patou-chan' is and he seems to think it's me, and I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to upset him." Releasing her gaze, he crouched down and peered over Orihime's hip. "Hi...Tatsunosuke, right? I'm sorry." He took something out of his pocket. "I forgot to give you your phone back. Here you go."

Orihime gasped as she eyed the hamburger-shaped cellphone that Kurotatsu took from Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo looked up, startled at the horrified way she was looking at the phone. "I-I didn't look, I swear." He stepped forward as though to take hold of her shoulders, stopping immediately when she backed away. "He was just showing me some pictures from it last night, saying something about how I'm 'patou-chan' and he handed it over and I forgot to give it back."

A trapped expression came over Orihime's face, alarming and confusing Ichigo, watching as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her shoulders sagging.

When she opened them again, he could only read resignation there and he couldn't help the sudden pounding of his heart that seemed to sink deep down inside him with each beat.

"Kurosaki-kun..." her voice a husky whisper as she began, "there is something I have to tell you."

* * *

><p><em>With Tatsunosuke in her lap, Orihime held her old cellphone, scrolling through pictures she'd taken of her friends back when their life seemed so much simpler. She stopped at the photograph of<em> him, _a painful spasm hitching inside her chest as her eyes traced over his features. Leaning her cheek on top of Tatsunosuke's head, she said, "Kurotatsu, this is your tou-chan. Say 'tou-chan'."_

_"Tou-chan."_

_Despite herself, a lump rose in her throat, but she managed to croak out, "Very good," to which Tatsunosuke turned to her to show his beaming face._

_"Tou-chan," he repeated, pointing to the picture of Ichigo._

_Even if Tatsuki didn't want Ichigo to know he had a son, Orihime wanted Tatsunosuke to know he had a father._

_"That's right."_

_He took the phone from her grasp and held it in both his hands. "Tou-chan. Tou-chan."_

_"What are you doing?" Tatsuki leaned against the doorframe of her room._

_"Kaa-chan!" yelled Tatsunosuke as he jumped down from Orihime's lap and ran towards Tatsuki to tackle her into a hug._

_Smiling, the black-haired young woman held him up over her head, causing him to laugh out loud in delight before setting him back down. "What have you got there?"_

_With a huge grin, Tatsunosuke brandished the cellphone, pointing to Ichigo on the screen. "Tou-chan! See? This is tou-chan."_

_Tatsuki's smile froze in place as she looked over his head to Orihime. "I thought we talked about this."_

_"You said not to tell Kurosaki-kun about him, Tatsuki-chan. You never said anything about not telling him about Kurosaki-kun."_

_Tatsuki rubbed a palm over her face with an exasperated sigh, carrying Tatsunosuke with her and flopping down on the couch beside Orihime._

_"I just thought it's best that he should know he has a father, Tatsuki-chan."_

_Her arms still around Tatsunosuke, the black-haired young woman peered over his shoulder to gaze at the screen, holding an expression Orihime couldn't name in her eyes before being shuttered away as though it hadn't been there._

_"No, not 'tou-chan,'" countered Tatsuki. "Say 'papa.'"_

_Tatsunosuke turned his head towards her. "Papa?"_

_"Yes. This guy in the picture. He's your papa."_

_"Tatsuki-chan! You shouldn't confuse him."_

_"Yeah, well, you should've followed the naming scheme."_

_"I did." Orihime leaned over to point at the picture. "He's 'tou-chan,' Kurotatsu."_

_"No, he's 'papa.'"_

_"Tou-chan."_

_"Papa."_

_"Tou-chan."_

_"Papa."_

_"Tatsuki-chan, seriously!"_

_"I am serious, Orihime. You're his mama and Ichigo's his papa."_

_Orihime shook her head. "And he's 'Kurotatsu' because—"_

_Tatsuki shot her a look sharp enough to make her swallow the words. With a dejected sigh, she patted Tatsunosuke's head—the boy having gone silent as he listened to the argument between his mama and his kaa-chan._

_"Call him 'patou-chan.'"_

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Oct/2012


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts and feelings about this fic. It kinda makes me happy to elicit sad reactions since parts of the previous chapters did make me tear up to the point where I had to pause whilst writing because otherwise I couldn't see the monitor *lol*

This chapter just ran away and just kept going and going and I do believe it made me abuse the m-dash hehehe

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

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><p>He couldn't help but gulp, made difficult by the huge lump that had risen to his throat. She exuded seriousness, as though a monstrously large weight was on her shoulders, and that what she came to say was being wrung out of her with great difficulty. All Ichigo could do was brace himself, prepare himself for the worst, even though he couldn't even begin to imagine what it could be.<p>

Her mouth opened and closed several times, and when the words kept choking her, her gaze faltered, lids curtaining those mournful eyes half-mast.

Dread was roiling at the pit of his stomach. Her nervousness was making _him_ nervous, and the hope that had filled him at the news of her return slowly began to disintegrate.

"Inoue?"

With a jolt, she looked back up and met his eyes.

"Kurosaku-kun, I..." Blinking, her gaze rolled just off beyond his left ear, and somehow, that indirectness finally freed her voice. "I don't even know where to start."

Putting his hands in his pockets, he asked, "Do you want to find a place to sit? Would that make things easier?"

She bit her lip, taking a few moments to think, then nodded, reaching behind her for the boy's hand before proceeding to walk.

His heart hitched at the sight; realizations descended inside his mind of the many things that _never_ happened between them, that never had a chance to happen. All the things he'd yearned for all those years ago when he realized his developing feelings for her. The sight of that small hand in hers cinched the ultimate truth that he'd missed his chance; that, had things gone the way they should've been, that small hand could have belonged to someone else, someone who was a part of both of them—of Ichigo and Orihime—instead of her and some other faceless man.

Falling into step a little behind Inoue, he couldn't help closing his eyes tightly, feeling like a heel at the jealousy gnawing at him, on a little boy at that.

Across the street from the cemetery was a grassy area with a bike path running across it with wooden benches scattered here and there. Ichigo watched Tatsunosuke look at Orihime and point to one, smiling and running off at her responding nod. The orange-haired couldn't help being fascinated, watching the boy struggle to lift himself up on a bench, beaming a proud smile at them when he finally made it, and patted the spot next to him.

"Mama! Mama! You can sit here. I saved it for you."

"Thank you," replied Orihime softly, ruffling the boy's hair while taking the place allotted to her.

Tatsunosuke leaned into her side and peered shyly at Ichigo from under her arm. "You can sit here too," he said, pointing to the vacant spot next to him.

Giving him a nod and a half-smile, Ichigo lowered himself next to Tatsunosuke, hands perched rigidly on his knees. A wry thought came to him, that anyone passing by might mistake them for a young family.

Several minutes passed, and there was nothing but the sound of mumblings from Tatsunosuke as he played with the hamburger-shaped cellphone, giggling occasionally at a video recording he was watching.

The air was stifling, but Ichigo couldn't bring himself to leave, and despite the trepidation that filled him, he wanted to stay to hear what Inoue came here to tell him.

"Tatsuki-chan, she..." she finally began, "...there had been a lot of things that she wanted and didn't want."

A mixture of loss and puzzlement came over him at the mention of his oldest friend. But he gave Inoue a small nod to continue.

"She wanted to teach martial arts. She wanted to go sky-diving, and go on a plane ride that goes high enough to experience zero gravity. She wanted to climb against the current of a waterfall, and then bungee jump off it afterwards." She reached up to wipe the tears that had brimmed on her lower lids, and sensing her movement, Tatsunosuke paused from playing with the phone to hug her middle. She gave him a small smile as she squeezed him back, and Ichigo found himself clenching his fists to stop himself from reaching for her.

"She wanted a lot of things, and she wanted to do them with someone special." Heaving a deep exhale, she leaned down to press a kiss on top of Tatsunosuke's head. "She...Instead, some things happened to her that she hadn't been planning on. One of them was falling in love...

"When she fell in love with y—when she fell in _love_, she wasn't really happy about it. Instead of thinking about her getting her own happiness, she chose to think of...someone else's. She'd felt as though she'd hurt that person a lot by falling in love, you see. So instead of staying and confessing to the person she loved about her feelings for him, she ran away. She went with me.

"You don't know how many times I wanted to come back and set things right, so she can finally become happy again, this time with the person she loved. But her feelings for me got in the way. She was just hurting herself over and over by staying with me."

At a loss for words, Ichigo swallowed, reaching out to touch Orihime's shoulder but stopping, hovering over indecision a few scant centimetres away. That he should be the one to become privy to Tatsuki's frame of mind—he had to wonder if it was because he had been Tatsuki's oldest friend, or whether it was because he just happened to be the one currently present among their friends.

Hearing about Tatsuki made him recall the last time he had seen her, the last time they had hung out together, and it was a moment that he never in a million years expected to happen. It was a memory rife with regret, with remorse, of the million ways he'd wished could be undone. Of the multitudinous speculations that ran through his mind of if-only's: if only they hadn't been drinking, if only she'd left early with the rest of their friends, if only they hadn't come over, if only he had work that night, if only...if only...

But what happened that night _did_, and there was no turning back from it. Did it destroy their friendship? Her going away—it _was_ proof, wasn't it, that she'd regretted it as much as he did?

"Kurosaki-kun..."

He started, head jolting to turn to her. "Inoue?"

"I—I've always known this wouldn't be easy."

Eyebrows raised, he nodded, prompting her to continue, but to take her time in doing so.

"She—It—I mean—Tatsuki-chan hadn't expected to fall in love with y—she hadn't—" Orihime took a deep breath.

"Inoue, if it's too hard, maybe you shouldn't force yourself. I know it's—"

"No, it's alright, Kurosaki-kun. But thank you for your concern. I just feel this is too important."

"Okay."

With a small unamused chuckle, she wrapped an arm around Tatsunosuke, drawing him close to her when he rubbed his eyes tiredly, his little hand slackening on the cellphone as his head fell on her lap, having fallen fast asleep. After taking the phone away, she stroked his hair, looking as though she was trying to find the strength to continue.

"She hadn't expected to become pregnant and have a baby," she finally said, voice firm though husky.

At this, Ichigo's eyes fell to the boy, finally realizing the sense of familiarity he'd felt, and recognized traces of Tatsuki in every feature. A part of him was relieved that there was no true tie between Orihime and Tatsunosuke, but even so he tried to stifle that relief in respect to Tatsuki's memory.

"So, he's Tatsuki's son?" he couldn't help voicing as confirmation.

Orihime bit her lip, and nodded. "Hers."

_But didn't he call Inoue 'mama'?_ he thought. _And isn't his last name Inoue? If he was Tatsuki's, then why—_

But he couldn't finish the train of thought, derailed at her next words, feeling as though he'd been punched in the gut.

"And yours, Kurosaki-kun."

Minutes might have stretched. He might have blinked. His head felt hollow, ringing with an odd echo.

"Ever since we found out," continued Orihime, "I've wanted to come back and tell you. You deserved to know, Kurosaki-kun. But Tatsuki-chan refused and said it was her final decision. She said you didn't need to know about it, about him."

Ichigo's eyes lowered to the sleeping figure between them, and as he examined his so—Tatsuno—the _boy_'s features further, he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, and abruptly he rose, with heaving breaths paced the few steps to lean his head against a nearby tree. Breathing deeply, he forced down the bile that had risen to his throat.

_But that's impossible_, he wanted to scream, rail the words at the sky, but all he could do was bend over forward with hands braced on his knees, trying to control his breathing. _FUCK!_

He grimaced at the choice of curse word, his hands rising to pull at his hair. What happened that night five years ago wasn't supposed to happen—at least not between him and Tatsuki.

_It has to be a lie. It is, isn't it?_ Tatsuki—she was far too straightforward to hide anything from him. She was never the type of person to hold back. Even after what happened between them that night, she just wouldn't up and leave, wouldn't tell him this very important thing. Wouldn't leave him out of an important matter such as this.

_But she did_, a hard, uncompromising part of him countered. _There's no denying she did all that. She came between what could have been between you and Inoue. And Inoue—_

_She—_

_Fuck!_

_So then Inoue knew that he and Tatsuki..._

_Of course she _would_. The two were best friends. And since Tatsuki was pregnant there was no way she could keep that hidden from Inoue. There was no way she would hurt Inoue_...

Raising his head, he blinked. But Tatsuki had hurt Inoue too. As with him, she had done something none of them would ever think she would ever do.

And now she was gone.

His nose stung. Loss...betrayal...confessions...they all hit him one after another. With Tatsuki dead, she couldn't account for her decisions. All that was left was Inoue. And...

Turning, he met Inoue's gaze, and read pity and heartbreak there. Ichigo went to her, dropping down to a knee in front of the boy.

Tatsunosuke.

His son.

Reaching out a hand, he lightly traced a soft cheek with his fingertips. Ichigo still had a hard time believing it. How could that one night five years ago have changed all their lives so drastically? Pushed them together and pulled them apart...and this, here, an innocent by-product of a never-should-have-happened moment.

Orihime's hand, trembling and clammy, slid over his, gently pushing so that his palm laid fully against the boy's cheek. He wanted to draw back, but the feeling of small puffs of warm exhales on his wrist stopped him, letting him feel the hard evidence of a life he'd created with Tatsuki. Pain squeezed his chest as he came to the realization that like him, Tatsunosuke had also lost his mother at such a young age. And even if right now he had a hard time fully accepting the situation he had been suddenly thrust into, Ichigo couldn't very well deprive the boy of another parent.

He leaned down and, hesitantly, lightly pressed his lips on the boy's forehead, hearing Inoue's sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Kurosaki-kun."

Looking up, warmth settled in him at the kindness and tenderness he saw in her gaze, the fear and nervousness slowly receding.

"Being with Tatsuki-chan made me understand your feelings."

Puzzled, he couldn't help tilting his head.

"W-when I confessed five years ago, and you made your feelings known—"

"Inoue," he interjected, but she shook her head, imploring him to let her speak on.

"For something like _this_—"

"_This_?"

She indicated the still-sleeping boy. "—The baby, Tatsunosuke—to have happened...it was simply meant to be. Between you and Tatsuki-chan."

Ichigo licked his dry lips. "Inoue, I..."

Her eyebrows raised in query, expecting him to continue, but only his silence became prolonged, and she proceeded, her gaze releasing their hold on him. "How could someone as beautiful and as good and as sweet as him be a mistake? Tatsuki-chan always kept saying your time together was something that shouldn't have happened, but that had always been her way of going about things since we went away. She was denying her own feelings for you because she wanted to spare my feelings."

"Inoue..."

She smiled as she continued looking at elsewhere but him. "It should have been you, and not me, who was with her and Tatsunosuke for all these years." She took a deep breath and struggled to keep up the façade, putting more perkiness into her voice. "And that's why I'm here, Kurosaki-kun. To give back what I've unknowingly taken from you."

"What are you talking about?" A frown furrowed his brow as he grew increasingly disbelieving as she continued.

"It's time to gain back all the years you've both missed together. It's time for Tatsunosuke to be with you."

He shook his head, surprised at what he'd just heard her say. "You can't just do that to a child, Inoue," he finally managed to say after he gathered his thoughts. "You can't just drop him off to a complete stranger."

"But you're not a stranger, Kurosaki-kun. You're his father." She couldn't help saying the last word huskily.

"And you're his mother."

She shook her head. "I never was. He calls me 'mama', but I'm not really. It was Tatsuki-chan who insisted on it."

"This is just—" Ichigo couldn't help but keep shaking his head, becoming more unnerved with the direction the conversation was heading. Beneath her words, her despair was almost palpable, enough that he knew anytime soon she would flee from him once again, and this time she would never return. Thoughts came and went without really registering in his mind as he tried to quickly come up with ways to anchor her to him. And then, without really thinking, he blurted out, "Let's get married."

Her head whipped around to face him, her eyes blinking in disbelief. "K-ku-kurosa-sa-ki-kun...?"

"Inou—" He stopped, and corrected himself. "Orihime."

He hardened his resolved and took hold of both her shaking hands, and said with more conviction, "Let's get married, Orihime."

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>Oct/2012


	9. Chapter 9

Beyond the window of Chizuru's spare bedroom, the light of the stars was drowned out by the lights of Karakura. In that filtered darkness, Orihime could only stare unseeing, trying to drown out _his_ words from her mind.

"_Let's get married, Orihime."_

Those words tore at her. Those were the words of the dream of a young girl: the girl she used to be; the girl who had realized five years ago that those silly words would never come to pass.

Hearing _"Gomen, Inoue,"_ after she confessed her feelings to him had dashed that dream. And now, five years later, after the death of her best friend, those words had come to actualization, as though to mock her.

Insidiously, she felt herself waver, her locked away heart poking through its cage, hope encasing it, telling her that her buried feelings have been fleeting out, bursting in yearning... _Accept_, her heart told her. _Say yes_.

But the other side of her, the part that had wallowed in hurt and heartbreak, told her what her mind knew too well: it wasn't really _her_, Orihime, that _he_ wanted. In the absence of Tatsuki, she was just the replacement, right?

And the proposal had really been made for Tatsunosuke's sake. It was a way to let him keep having two parents to look after him. Even Orihime had realized that Ichigo wouldn't really know much about parenting, having it just thrust upon him so suddenly, and having them together would make it easier for Tatsunosuke to adjust to having Ichigo in his life. But Ichigo didn't really have to go so far as to ask her to marry him...

To pretend to be a family...to pretend to love each other... Orihime forced herself to laugh to abate her tears, but they came unbidden, trailing tracks of salt down her cheeks, and she curled her arms around her knees and buried her face.

_Tatsuki-chan...it is you who should be here instead of me. It is you who should form your family with Kurosaki-kun and Kurotatsu._

_It's not me who should be here._

_Not me._

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><p>Ichigo leaned his head back against the wall, bumping it back several times before he resumed eroding a path between the bedroom and the kitchen. He couldn't sleep. Out of nervousness, he felt restless. Since coming home he had paced back and forth in the cramped space of his apartment. <em>Will she say yes? Will she give him a chance to show her how he felt?<em> This was finally the time, their chance to be together. He had screwed it up before, and he was resolved not to make the same mistake. This opportunity he was presented with, to form a family with her and Tatsunosuke...it was as though Tatsuki herself had given her blessing...maybe?

If only Orihime would accept him.

Despite the feeling of resolve, he still felt lost. He had been feeling desperate over losing her again, and he had wanted to set things right, and asking her to marry him was a step in that direction, right? Maybe right now it was too soon, but the offer was there. He would leave it open until she was ready. And he had told her he would wait for her answer for how ever long it would take.

He stopped pacing, and pulled the curtain from his window. For all of his worries about Orihime, he mustn't forget the part of her that was also a part of him: his new found son.

Clenching the cloth of the curtain, he twisted away, eyes shutting tight. _I have a son. From that night. With Tatsuki._

How the years of pain, heartache, and yearning bore down on him. _That's why Tatsuki left_. Even though it hurt, he could understand Tatsuki's stance of not wanting to let him know. She had also seen that night as a mistake; a night of regret. But in the end she had spared no one of the pain of knowing. Tatsuki had known. Orihime had known. And they had both hurt because of it.

And Tatsunosuke had been caught in the middle of all it.

Running both hands through his hair, he wondered how he would fare as a sudden father. He had lost a lot of years. Tatsunosuke seemed to know of him and accepting of him—until Ichigo screwed that one up as well. He had a lot to make up for.

Thinking of himself as a father, he couldn't help but be reminded of his own relationship with his father. His frown deepened.

Unthinkingly, he reached for his cellphone.

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><p>It was strange to be knocking on the door to his childhood home, and he was taken back to how his father would usually greet him. This time though, as though sensing the unrest in his son, Isshin held himself in check when he opened the door, nodding in indication to the kitchen and letting Ichigo let himself in.<p>

It was not often they drank together, but the elder Kurosaki sensed it was not going to be one of those nights they'd let themselves loose and be boisterous. Isshin had already set a bottle of _sake_ and two glasses on the table, sitting himself down with an exaggerated sigh as he watched Ichigo take the seat opposite him.

Pouring him a drink, he cut right to the chase, "What's on your mind, son?"

The orange-haired took the glass, swirling the liquid inside, and took his time to contemplate.

For his part, Isshin could see that no amount of riling would get Ichigo to open up until he was ready, so he just steadily emptied his glass as he waited. Just as he was reaching for the bottle for his third serving, Ichigo finally broke his silence.

"I just found out I have a kid."

Isshin almost stumbled, eyes widening, eyebrows flying up to his hairline, his hand falling to rest on the table. "Oh," was all he could mutter, mind flickering back to the last relationship he had heard about. Nodding, he managed to fill his glass again, raising it with one hand and patting his son's shoulder with the other. "Congratulations to you and Nozomi-chan, then!" he boomed out heartily with an ecstatic chuckle before taking a huge sip of his drink. "Here I was kind of afraid because you're all doom and gloom, but this is great news! Hahaha...ha..." Isshin's laughter trailed off when he saw Ichigo hadn't joined in the celebration. "Isn't it? Don't tell me you're not happy about having a baby?"

The orange-haired shifted in his seat. "No, it's not that. It's not Nozomi. We've broken up a long time ago." Finally raising the glass to his lips, he gulped down the liquid and wiped his lips with his sleeve. "My kid—son—he's actually four now."

One dark eyebrow rose as Isshin did a mental calculation. If the kid was four years old, plus nine months of pregnancy, that meant he was conceived about five years ago... Five years... The only young woman he had heard about his son fancying back then was—

"Orihime-chan?" Isshin gasped, eyes widening, a huge grin stretching on his face. He slapped his hand on the table. "You dog! Hahaha! I knew you had it in you. You just made mine and your sisters' dreams come true by getting together with an Orihime-level girl with Orihime herself!"

Ichigo winced. "It's not her."

"Eh?" A puzzled frown immediately bore down on Isshin's elation. "Come again?"

"It's Tatsuki."

Isshin blinked and sunk back in his chair. "Oh." He ran a hand over his face and smacked his lips as he thought about what to say.

"Tatsuki was away, living with Orihime all this time," explained Ichigo. "She hadn't wanted me to know about him. And she had di—passed away—recently. And Inou—Orihime—came back here to bury her and tell me about Tatsuki's—our—son."

"Oh." The older man released a deep exhale. "Tatsuki-chan is dead, huh."

Ichigo clenched his hands around his empty glass. "Yeah."

"May she rest in peace," mumbled Isshin. "And you just learned you had a kid with her."

"Yeah."

"But I thought it was Orihime-chan that you lov—"

"Yeah." Ichigo ran both hands over his face and pulled at his hair. "Me and Tatsuki—it was a stupid night. We were both drunk."

Isshin eyed the glass in front of Ichigo and pulled it away. The orange-haired gave him an annoyed look.

"So what now? What's going to happen with—with—? What's the kid's name?"

"Tatsunosuke."

"Tatsunosuke, huh? That's a nice name. What's going to happen now between, well, all of you?"

"Well...I-I want to get to know him..."

"Of course, that's understandable. You missed out on a lot."

"Yeah. I, uh, also want us—the three of us—to be a family."

"Right. What about Orihime-chan?"

Ichigo swallowed. "I said to her that we should get married."

Isshin nearly fell out of his chair, and blinking incessantly, couldn't help but look at his son as though he was a stranger. He reached for his glass and drank up the dregs, pondering about all the things he could say. It was obviously too late to lecture him about unprotected sex, too late to advise him about falling in love with one woman and then sleeping with another, and too late to offer counsel on raising a baby. People made mistakes. What was past had passed, and there was no turning back from it. It was an unfortunate part of life. But now, he could see that his son was presented with a chance to rectify what had happened. For now, what he _could_ do was offer his support—and guidance in handling this delicate situation Ichigo found himself in.

"And what did Orihime-chan say to that?"

"I think she wanted to say no, but I told her I'll wait for her to think things through."

The older man couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief. "Good. You didn't force the issue."

Ichigo scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Moving on." Isshin waved his hands in dismissal, then leaned forward with a big smile and bright eyes. "You should bring them both here."

"Here?"

"Yes. It's only natural to formally welcome them into the family."

The scowl softened as Ichigo leaned back in his seat. "I guess."

"Of course, of course! Why, like you, I missed out on my grandson too." He sniffed. "Me? Already a grandfather." He rose from his seat and made his way to his wife's poster on the wall. "We're grandparents, Masaki. Our son has given us our first grandchild." He proceeded to sob loudly, sniffing into his sleeve before spreading his arms to embrace the poster.

The orange-haired looked up, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips despite himself. Somehow, seeing this, the familiarity of his father's goofy actions, he felt alleviated of the heaviness that had been weighing on him. Integrating both Orihime and Tatsunosuke into the Kurosaki household was the start that he hadn't known he was seeking. To make them all feel like a true family.

Ichigo reached for the bottle and poured the liquor into both their glasses, then raised his and clinked it against his father's on the table.

"Thanks...oyaji."

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><p>Thanks for reading :)<br>May/2013

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.


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